Paulie Needs a PR Consultant

Paulie Malignaggi needs to seek some PR advice. He needs to do some damage control.

“When Juan Diaz was given a controversial decision over Malignaggi back in 2009, the former junior welterweight titlist moved fans with his post-fight laments and sad-eyed criticism of the sport’s power structure.”—Paul Magno (Yahoo Sports)

Yes, I remember when Paulie told Max Kellerman after the fight, “Boxing is full of shit.” And I could sympathize with the Brooklyn lad because he had just felt the results of the less-than-sage judging of Gale Van Hoy and that’s never a good thing.

Boxing is a tough sport and foul language comes with it. Those taken aback should find something else less offensive. In the Hopkins-Cloud fight, the referee inexplicably exclaimed in the first round, “I don’t want any bullshit.” Some fighters, like Chris Arreola, almost make it an art form. Who can ever forget when Chris was asked (I think by Jim Gray) to comment about his opponent after a tough fight and he said, “Man, that was one tough m——-f——-?” No big deal, that.

However, boxers do need to be circumspect about the targets of their profanity. When LiL Floyd went after Larry Merchant after the Ortiz fight, the reaction was mixed. However, during a recent interview with Paulie Malignaggi on BoxingScene.com conducted by Luis Sandoval, the Brooklyn boxer said things he may well regret. The last people a boxer should go after are those who pay the freight, as that freight comprises a major portion of the purse—or as Paulie is so quick to remind us, the “prize.”

Here is a part of the interview:

“I’ll pull out my [expletive] and they can all suck it,” Malignaggi said. “I go to the bank, I got a lot of money. I own multiple houses, multiple cars. I own enough jewelry that I can buy people’s houses off them just off my jewelry. I’m good. And I’m not trying to brag about my money, even though I just did. I live a good life and, personally, it doesn’t matter what anybody’s saying…So when Monday morning comes and Tuesday morning comes, and everybody got to get the [expletive] up and go to work, and they can’t stand getting up, I don’t gotta do that. I train a few months a year and then I enjoy my money. I hang out and I go on vacation and I have a good time and I show up to fights and people love me. It’s a good life being Paulie Malignaggi.”

Later on when discussing his Showtime job as commentator, Paulie took another shot at the fans as follows:

“Maybe I can teach some of the idiots at home about boxing. There seem to be a lot of know-it-alls, but they don’t know what the [expletive] they’re watching…Most people don’t know [expletive] You watch a fight every week and you don’t know [expletive] about boxing, that’s 99% of, even, boxing fans, let alone people who don’t watch boxing…I feel like I’ve been put out there for a purpose—to educate these [expletive] idiots out there and tell them what’s going on when they watch a fight.”

“…even Floyd Mayweather, in his darkest “Money” moments, never let loose with such a dismissive, insulting diatribe against the same people who make his lavish lifestyle possible. It’s bad form. It’s ignorant. It’s a slap in the face of everyone who has ever paid to see him fight or supported him from the viewer end of the TV camera.”

Paulie Malignaggi is no longer a compelling fighter. His best days are behind him and I certainly don’t blame him for going after the most money he can get at this point in his fading career. Like he says, this is “prize fighting.”
However, Paulie needs to seek some PR advice. He needs to do some damage control. Paulie needs to apologize.

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I am serious Jose, but I also recognize that a fighter will go to great lengths to stir up hype which in turn will fill seats which in turn will make for a bigger “prize,” so to that extent, I’m willing to cut Paulie some slack.

Are you serious? He made everything & I mean everything on his own two legs, skills, using his personality & with one hand. He deserves to say whatever he likes & feels, especially to the media, fans etc. on how they treated him on his over a decade long career. Go out with a bang & ca$h out Champ! All heart & speaks the truth…

I just want to add from below, I personally don’t think he contributed enough to boxing to make him a lingering thought in anyone’s mind except his. 5-10 years from now—well forgotten and probably lost all his money and hardware on bad advice like so many others.

Coming from New York, I can tell you all that Paulie is just explaining it the way a “Brooklyn” born and bred New York atitude would put it. It is the same bullshit that most of America will find a way of hating NYC area atitude. Its not really Paulie’s fault that he was born and bred in that way from his own kind- but it is what it is.

With that said, he would be very smart in getting it into his own “f…g” head that his attitude sucks and needs a complete adjustment and lose that bullshit attitiude. Never bite the hand that feeds ya. Complete idiot that gives Chris Arreola run for the same crap.

biker, Paulie has heart in the ring. He proved that years ago against Cotto. But you should never s—- where you eat, and that’s what he is doing here. My best guess is that he wants to make as much money as he possibly can against Broner and then cash it in and work as a commentator which he is very good at. But insulting fans is a tightrope on which he needs to be very careful walking.

Whatever he makes against Broner will be because of Broner and not because of Paulie.

Good Stuff as always, Ted…Paulie has no problem with rallying fan support when he’s on the down side of a bad situation…Yet, he’s a smug prick when he feels he’s on top…That, my friend, is the definition of an asshole…